More on Health Care

“I applaud the effort of the two community health centers to obtain these critical resources to combat opioid addiction in eastern Connecticut,” said Courtney. “We have to be diligent about pursuing similar grant opportunism in the future that may be available to fight back against rising drug abuse.”

Rep. Courtney joined Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY-21), David Young (R-IA-03), and Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ-01) in introducing the Community Health Investment, Modernization and Excellence (CHIME) Act of 2017 – bipartisan legislation to extend the Community Health Centers Fund (CHCF) for five years, with modest increases to ensure responsiveness to demand for care and national priority areas.

Most Americans want Congress to set aside politics and search for common-sense solutions that build upon the efforts of the Affordable Care Act rather than tear it down with no viable alternative. The “Medicare Buy-In and Health Care Stabilization Act,” to be introduced by U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney and two other congressmen, is such a common-sense proposal.

Congressman Courtney said, “With the demise of “repeal” which was structured from day 1 as a hyper partisan Republican exercise, it is time Congress listens to what the American people have been saying loud and clear for several years. We need to work together to fix the weaknesses in the ACA rather than butcher it. The Medicare Buy In and Health Care Stabilization Act provides relief for the higher cost, older population in the individual and small business market, and restores the market stabilizers that Republicans have undermined and caused insurance premiums to spike in 2017 and 2018. Lastly, the bill provides exciting new ways to reduce health care spending by cracking down on fraud and instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to employ tried and true tools to cut costs in the area of prescription drugs. This bill not only does not add to the deficit, but it will, in fact, save money for America’s taxpayers.”

“The CBO analysis released today – 20 days after the GOP recklessly passed their healthcare bill – confirms that 23 million Americans will lose coverage and older, sicker Americans will pay more than they currently do under any scenario,” said Courtney. “This report should act as an emergency brake on the Senate, and stop this headlong rush to a healthcare catastrophe. Americans want the existing system fixed, not intentionally crippled.”

“It hard to imagine why the White House is considering slashing the funding for the primary agency leading anti-drug efforts in the midst of a nationwide drug abuse epidemic,” said Courtney. “I urge the president’s key advisors to meet with local law enforcement officials battling drug abuse on the front lines like I have done in the past to better understand how their departments utilize federal funding in the fight against prescription opioid and heroin abuse. Local police and health professionals on the front lines of this epidemic tell me that the primary reason we are losing the battle against opioids is lack of resources at every level. The bipartisan letter signed by more than sixty of my colleagues today from both parties demonstrates that the administration will face stiff opposition to any proposed funding cut for drug abuse prevention and treatment.”

“Just one month ago, Paul Ryan pulled the GOP healthcare bill minutes before a scheduled vote because support had collapsed in the face of vehement opposition from organizations such as the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Cancer Society, the Heart Association, the Lung Association, doctors and nurses,” said Courtney. “The groups denounced this bill after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office found it would eliminate healthcare coverage for 24 million Americans. Today, Paul Ryan brought the bill back with changes to placate the most extreme elements of his party that in the words of the American Hospital Association will make ‘a bad bill even worse.’ The revised bill weakens protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and dismantles requirements that health insurance plans must cover maternity care, mental health services, addiction treatment, emergency room care, and bans on lifetime limits for coverage, just to name a few. The bill still raids the Medicare trust fund, rolls back Medicaid, and raises premiums on Americans over the age of 50. For those who frustrated with weaknesses in the existing law – this bill does nothing to address those and in fact greatly exacerbates them. I implore the Senate to scuttle this deeply flawed measure and give us the opportunity to enact real fixes to the healthcare system that Congress can consider on a bipartisan basis.”

“The impact of a loss of Hartford HealthCare services for these 5,000 Medicare Advantage enrollees can only be described as a significant disruption,” wrote the delegation members. “Without a Special Enrolment Period, these members will be forced to select new primary care providers, new specialists, and familiarize themselves with new facilities, many of which will be outside of their communities and which may not offer the services they receive at Hartford HealthCare. Allowing these beneficiaries to choose any other Medicare Advantage plan offered in Connecticut will allow these patients to maintain their ongoing relationships with their providers. This is especially important for those beneficiaries going through treatment for acute and chronic conditions."

“Speaker Ryan’s comments this morning make clear that he has absolutely no inclination to work with Democrats on a bipartisan basis to improve our healthcare for families across this country,” said Courtney. “I remain ready and willing to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to build on and improve the Affordable Care Act. Speaker Ryan’s comments unfortunately leave little room for this kind of effort, and instead keeps the House on set on a course of further gridlock at a time when Americans are looking for thoughtful cooperation in Washington. I hope he will reconsider, and instead pursue ideas to improve care for Americans that have support among both parties and the American people.”